Effortless Grilled Chicken Teriyaki

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Effortless Grilled Chicken Teriyaki. This chicken is simple and perfect for busy weeknights. All it takes is marinating your chicken in the morning and grilling it up that night! It is perfect for that night, but it is really tasty as a leftover, so perfect for meal prep!

Chicken Recommendations

I always use boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. They have more flavor and don’t dry out as easily as chicken breasts. You may use whichever chicken you prefer, just be mindful not to grill it for too long or it will dry out. Nothing is worse than dry, grilled chicken!

Teriyaki Chicken Marinade

Teriyaki Chicken Marinade:

• Soy Sauce 
• Brown Sugar
• Honey
• Rice Wine Vinegar 
• Minced Garlic
• Grated Fresh Ginger 
• Cornstarch
• Fresh Tomatoes
• Crushed Pineapple

The combination of these flavors is unbeatable and amazing coupled with your chicken! Take half of your marinade to use for the chicken and reserve the other half for later. You can marinate in a Ziplock bag or however, you prefer.

I like to marinate my chicken for at least 6-8 hours, but you can also easily go overnight as well. When 6-8 hours? For a good marinade, you really need to let it meld and blend with the chicken, this takes time and is a process better left unrushed. So, throw it in that morning before work of the day starts and it will be ready that night. Or throw it in the night before and it is ready for grilling the following evening.

Grilling The Effortless Grilled Chicken Teriyaki

*If you have time, I would pull your chicken out and bring it to room temperature first, maybe half an hour before. Any meat will grill better if it is at room temperature.

Heat your grill to at least 500-550 degrees Fahrenheit, and while heating, take your reserved marinade and heat over your stove in a pan. Cook your marinade on high for about 5 minutes and it will begin to thicken as you add your cornstarch. The flavor will be so delicious when added to your grilled chicken. 

Turn down your grill to about 400 degrees. Then, to grill your chicken, throw your chicken on the grill on one side for 3-5 minutes. . After you flip the chicken, take the glaze from the pan, and brush it all over the top (grilled side) of your chicken while the other side cooks. Grill your second side about the same time as the first, pull your chicken off, and then let it rest. 

Serving The Effortless Grilled Chicken Teriyaki

You can serve your chicken sliced, we had a cucumber salad with our Teriyaki Chicken, and it was the perfect contrast. I also served Emmer with ours, which is an awesome whole grain, you can also serve with white rice, if you prefer.

This is perfect for meal prep and is very yummy reheated if you have leftovers.

Side Dish Ideas

Are you looking for sides to go with the chicken teriyaki? Let me give you a few ideas:

• This Soba Noodle Salad is such a great salad!
• Spring Rolls would also pair really well with the chicken!
• You could also add the grilled chicken to a rice bowl just like this!
• A Thai quinoa salad would go with the chicken as well.